American detained over death of Nigerian regains freedom — after 44 days

Kari Ann O’Rouke, an American woman accused of killing a man who hosted her in Nigeria, has been released by the Lagos police command.

The 53-year-old woman had, through her lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, filed a suit before the federal high court, Lagos, challenging her continued detention since February 9, 2021, by the police.

In an affidavit attached to the suit marked FHC/L/CS/434/2021, O’Rouke said she is a certified nurse in America, who came to Nigeria on January 21, 2021, to partner with someone she met online to establish a humanitarian outfit.

She was, however, arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on February 8 over the death of her host whom she claimed she left “in the hotel room in good health in the company of his friends and relatives”.

She further averred that an autopsy carried out on the deceased show that her host died of heart trauma and cardiac arrest.

In the suit, O’Rouke sought declarations against her arrest and detention, an order for her immediate release, and N100 million damages against the police.

Upon further investigation, Adegboruwa said it was discovered that his client’s case file had since been forwarded to the Lagos ministry of justice, and that legal opinion had been issued by the director of public prosecutions (DPP), who said there was no established fact worthy of prosecution.

“The medical report attached to the duplicate case file establishes that the cause of the deceased’s death were acute cardiac failure and hypertensive heart disease,” the legal advice, dated March 5, 2021, by the DPP, reads.

“The presence of page B1-B4 at the hotel at the time of death and their actions on how to go about the incident aroused suspicions by the deceased’s family which led to the suspects’ arrest.

“They were arrested by the police upon mere suspicion which no matter how strong can never ground a conviction.

“In the light of the above, this office shall not prosecute the suspects for the offences of conspiracy to murder and murder.

“They should therefore be discharged and released if still in custody, as there is no case to be established against them from the facts presented in the duplicate case file.”

Upon obtaining the certified copy of the legal advice, Adegboruwa insisted on the immediate release of his client.

Consequently, O’Rouke was released on Wednesday, having spent 44 days in police custody.